Were you one of the millions who made losing weight a New Year’s resolution? How are you doing? If you’re having problems making it to the gym, why not start your own home gym and include the kids as well for some exciting children activities?

Let’s face it, having a gym membership is no guarantee that your fitness goals will be reached. In fact, having to pack up and drive to the gym makes it harder to stick with a new exercise program. If you’re able to create a home gym, you’re much more likely to adhere to the program and be a success.

If you’ve already bought an annual membership, it may be a good idea to take advantage of it as much as you can. Head out to the gym to see what machines are there. The trainers at the gym will be able to teach you how to properly use each one. After you’re comfortable using the machines at the gym you’ll have a better idea of what machines you’d like for your home gym. This will also ensure that you’re using any equipment you buy properly and that you can teach others to use it correctly, too.

Perhaps there are others in your family who would benefit from losing some weight or getting healthier. Setting up a home gym would be much cheaper than paying for an annual gym membership for each family member, especially if you’re unlikely to actually use it.

Set up any exercise equipment you buy in a specific location where it will be out of the way but easily accessible to those who want to use it. Not only can you or other family members shape up, everyone can improve their health as they lose weight.

Of course, most exercise equipment is not designed for children, so you’ll want to be sure that children never use it on their own. There should always be an adult supervising, to ensure they’re using the equipment safely and properly. In fact, to be sure children don’t use the equipment without your permission you may want to keep it in a room you can lock.

Design your home gym so you can do all exercises without a spotter unless your partner intends to work out with you. You can still include a treadmill, stationary bike, rebounder, dumbbells or bands, rubber mats, and possibly a television with DVD player to be able to work on aerobic exercises, as well.

You’ll definitely want to do more than weight training; you’ll want to include aerobic exercise, too. This can be done with an exercise video, or by walking or running outside. Try to choose exercises that you enjoy and that you know you’ll do no matter what the weather outside.

No matter which equipment you choose for your home gym, remember it won’t do you or anyone else in your family any good if you don’t use it. You can get your weight back under control as well as help lower your blood pressure and reduce problems associated with some diseases like diabetes. And it will help you feel better.

Gamers who want to get fit but found Wii Fit lacking in enjoyment or exertion for exercise or children activities can take advantage of this offer to experience exergaming with Gamercize. Trading in your Wii Fit discs will entitle you to a mail-in rebate worth up to $150/70GBP. To help with New Year Resolutions to lose weight and improve fitness, Gamercize is also offering a full 3 month virtual gym membership of their GZ Personal Trainer programme free.

Patented Gamercize interaction is non-intrusive by allowing normal game play while working out on a range of fitness machines, pausing the player from the game if they stop. The minimal interaction allows players to have their mind in the game while their body is in the workout. Gamercize works with every sedentary game, ensuring it never gets boring. In tests Gamercize equipment has been proven six times more engaging than exercise alternatives and four times more energetic than Wii.

“I can attest first hand to the positive impact that this product has on children, teens and adults after seeing so many of our locations having huge success with it. Recently our Exergame Fitness advisory board member Dr. Stephen Yang of SUNY Cortland demonstrated the full potential of Gamercize. Stephen had an entire gym class consisting of future P.E. teachers that were playing Gamercize tournaments using the NBA Basketball Xbox game. It was great to see the social aspect of the product and hear the praise from students,” adds Tommy Seilheimer, CEO of Exergame Fitness USA.
The GZ Personal Trainer software included in this offer is accessed via the internet or 3G mobile phone. The membership software provides a link to real fitness professionals who help motivate while tracking your calorie burn and progress against key health indicators towards your goals.

From January 1st the full Gamercize range of active gaming products, including the GZ Power Stepper, GZ Endurance Cycle, GZ Family Fit 3 in 1 recumbent cycle and rower and the GZ PC-Sport under desk stepper, will carry a 10% mail-in rebate plus 3 months GZ Personal Trainer membership in exchange for unwanted Wii Fit discs.

SOURCE Gamercize

Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and the Anthem Blue Cross Live Like a Champion Tour rolled into Magnolia Science Academy in Hollywood, California today to teach students the importance of eating healthy recipes for kids and staying active in a fun, interactive way.

As a part of his appearance, the nine time X Games gold medalist unveiled a new addition to the tour, a “Tony Hawk: RIDE Like a Champion” interactive video game experience, which allows players of all skill levels to step onto a revolutionary skateboard shaped controller and use their bodies to perform grinds, ollies and grabs like the pros.

“As a member of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, it’s an honor to have Tony Hawk: RIDE featured in the ‘Live Like a Champion’ mobile tour and to be able to share the sport I love with the students of California,” said Tony Hawk. “I am committed to promoting healthy lifestyles and Tony Hawk: RIDE is one more way to encourage people to engage in an activity they can enjoy on their own, as well as with their family and friends.”

Live Like a Champion is an award-winning initiative from the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and Anthem Blue Cross. The 16-city statewide tour features interactive games and challenging sports-themed activities that encourage students to bring out their “inner champion.”

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.

Today, LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) announced a new partnership for child education about the importance of drinking water for a healthy living, and reducing waste by reusing and recycling more plastics.

As part of the program, ACC will provide LA’s BEST students with reusable water bottles that they can use throughout the day, challenging children to make a habit of carrying their water bottles and drinking more water instead of sugary drinks.

“LA’s BEST welcomes this partnership with the American Chemistry Council. Our campaign encourages waste reduction through the use of reusable water bottles, teaches children about recycling, and educates kids about the health benefits of drinking water. This program will help create long lasting healthy habits for the kids who participate in LA’s BEST,” said Carla Sanger, LA’s BEST President and CEO.

Ninety different LA’s BEST school sites across Los Angeles are participating in the “Go H2O” Campaign from November 2 through November 20. Each child will be challenged to drink one bottle at the beginning of LA’s BEST program each afternoon. At the end of the campaign each participating LA’s BEST program will receive books and sports supplies from ACC.

“LA’s BEST has helped 12,500 students focus on learning and we are very pleased to work with them on this recycling and health-oriented partnership,” said Steve Russell, vice president, plastics, of the American Chemistry Council. “Learning to reduce, reuse and recycle is an important way all of us can make a difference for the environment. We are excited to work with LA’s BEST to get kids involved early.”

SOURCE American Chemistry Council

Childhood obesity is a concern of medical experts these days. It seems children spend so much time in front of the television, gaming consoles, or computers that they aren’t as active as they used to be. Instead of signing your children up for a weight-loss reality show, here are five ways to be a fitness role model for child development and fitness.

1. Learn to recognize hunger. Do you recognize when you’re truly hungry or do you eat out of boredom or because the clock says it’s time to eat? If you can recognize hunger and teach your children to do the same thing, they’ll be more likely to avoid eating except when truly hungry.

2. Get moving! Many people think you have to run a marathon or spend hours a day working out to be fit. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, studies have proven that being active even in small ways can help you maintain normal weight. Have you told your child to stop fidgeting? Well, fidgeting actually burns calories.

There are small things you can do that will help you be a fitness role model. Take the steps at the mall rather than an elevator or escalator. You can also park further away from the store instead of driving around looking for a close spot; this will allow you to walk a little bit. By working up to 45 minutes of activity a day, you’ll be amazed how much better your entire family will feel.

3. Limit screen time. Many children have their own computer or television in their room. This encourages them to spend time watching someone else be active rather than being active themselves. You may want to move the electronics out of their bedroom and keep them in the common areas of the home so you can limit how much time they spend in front of them. Encourage them to roller skate, ride their bikes, or do some other physical activity instead of staying in front of a screen.

4. Eat your meals together. Cooking your meals and eating them together at home will allow you to control what your children are eating and how much. Plan your meals out for at least a week so you know what to buy to avoid getting junk food. Prepare fresh meals rather than processed foods; they’re more nutritious and better quality.

5. Speak positively about being fit and healthy. If your children hear “I dread going to work out” they’ll think exercise is something to be dreaded and avoided. Instead, if they hear how much you’re looking forward to going to work out, they’ll see exercise as something good and positive which will make them more likely to enjoy it.

These are five ways to be a fitness role model to your children. Obviously there are other ways, but by starting with one or more of these you’ll be able to change your home and your family for the better. Don’t underestimate the role you play in encouraging your children to be healthy. Why not get started today?

Childhood obesity is a concern for parents and health professionals alike. In an effort to combat it, doctors recommend making sure your children learn to be active at an early age so they’ll continue being active as they age. Teach your child these eight fun games for preschoolers to keep them active for child development.

1. Hopscotch is a game that children have played for years. Draw a pattern of eight to twelve squares on the sidewalk with chalk. The children will place a rock or button in the first square, hop over the square with the rock, and then jump in the rest in sequence. At the end they’ll turn around and return, picking up their rock on the way. They’ll try to get the rock in each square until they get to the last one. They lose their turn if they step in the square with the rock.

2. Duck Duck Goose is another game you can play with your preschooler. Start with friends, family, or stuffed animals, sitting in a circle. One person is chosen as “It” to go around the circle, tapping each person on the head as they say “duck.” When they say the word “goose” that person gets up and chases them around back to their place, and they become it.

3. Most children have played Simon Says before. A group of children, or adults, stands in a line and “Simon” gives them instructions. As long as the phrase “Simon says” is given before the instruction, the group does what Simon says. If Simon says to do something but fails to say “Simon says,” the person who still does it is out. This continues until only one person is left and they then become Simon.

4. Tag is another game that’ll get your preschooler moving. Several children are chased by one child who is “It.” This child will try to tag the others, which will make the tagged child it. The children can play for as long as they’re having fun.

5. Bug Hunt is a game you may not know. Find pictures of bugs (ladybugs, ants, crickets, butterflies, etc.) and glue them to index cards. Give each child two or three cards and let them try to find those bugs.

6. Traffic Light (Red Light, Green Light) is a game where children are lined up on one end of a yard and another child plays the “stop light.” As soon as that child turns away from the others and yells “green light,” the other children move forward and try to reach him. The children must stop when the stop light turns and says “red light.” The child that reaches the stop light first then becomes it.

7. Help your child with a Treasure Hunt. Hide a gift and then create a treasure hunt where they’ll have to go around the yard or house, go through boxes, up and down stairs, to find their treasure.

8. Musical Chairs is another game that children love to play. Of course you’ll want to have a number of children (or adults) to play, as well. A circle of chairs are placed in a room, seats facing outwards, with one less chair than the number of children. Music starts and the children walk around the chairs; when the music stops the children try to find a seat. The one left standing is out, another chair is taken, and the music begins again.

Take time to play any of these eight fun games for preschoolers to keep them active. You’ll both have fun and your child will learn how to remain active and fight obesity.

Sleep is one of the most important need of man to survive. It is the perfect time to re-energize our body from the day’s life.But for sure, at one point in time, you faced a situation when your smart kids bring you to your limits as you try to bring them to sleep.

The following are child-care-friendly habits you can provide for your kids having difficulty with sleep:

1. Develop a routine. Wake-up and go-to-sleep at approximately the same time every day of the week (including the weekend). In this way, your kids will be trained to sleep at a specified time.
2. Napping should be developmentally appropriate. Too long or too frequent naps may disrupt sleep. For children requiring naptime, avoid naps after 3 pm. Generally after the age of five or six our bodies do not need a nap under normal circumstances. For older children, napping during the day should be avoided.
3. Have your kids eat regular meals and do not let them go to bed hungry. This prevents the chances of developing ulcers in the stomach and the possibility of awakening just to eat.
4. Your children should learn to fall asleep independent from their parents.
5. Vigorous activity should be avoided for 1 – 2 hours before bedtime. If this is not done, your kids will be still up at the time they really want because of the extreme alertness they got from their activities.
6. Spend time outside each day. Exposure to daylight helps to strengthen the circadian rhythm (our bodies internal clock that helps us to sleep on a regular schedule).
7. Make sure that your bedroom is a comfortable temperature (<75 degrees) during the night. Excessive heat can interfere with sleep.
8. Restrict activities in bed to sleeping only (no television, reading, playing games, etc.).
9. Avoid exposure to bright lights before and during sleep (e.g., watching television, keeping overhead light on).
10. Keep their sleeping environment (i.e., bedroom) relatively free of loud distractions.
11. Prepare for a good night’s sleep by providing a warm bath for them before bed; reading a relaxing story; listening to soothing music; sitting in a room with dim light for bedtime conversations.
12. Maintaining consistent exercise during the day can help promote better quality sleep. Keep very vigorous exercise to the early part of the day. Mild exercise four hours before bedtime is appropriate and may help improve sleep onset.

Remember to develop the habit of a routine pattern for your kids. In that way, not only you train your kids, you will have stress-free days for the rest of their childhood days.

The Wii Fit is a product designed to get you fit in the comfort of your home. You can choose from four different categories: Aerobic Exercise, Muscle Conditioning, Yoga Poses and Balance Games. The Wii Fit comes with the Balance Board, which is a new peripheral with pressure sensors. It is used for various activities.

Before you start exercising you create your own personal profile. This includes giving your height and age information. Your BMI will be checked by standing on the Wii Balance Board, which will give your exact weight. You will also be asked to perform a basic balance test to give you a Wii Fit Age.

Once you have been assigned a Wii Fit Age, you can start exercising. The Wii Fit will guide you through the fitness categories with the help of a virtual personal trainer. The aerobic/strength training will engage you in exercises that will strengthen and tone your muscles, from sideways leg lift, arm and leg lift, push-up and side plank, lunge and more. Additional challenges will push your exercise goals even further.

The Aerobic category increases your cardio vascular workout and exercises like super hula hoop, Advanced Step, Rhythm Boxing and more will get your heart pumping and your mood increasing. The Yoga category includes Yoga Poses like Cobra, Bridge, Palm Tree, Chair and more to improve your balance and flexibility.

The Balance Games are lots of fun and involve exercises on the balance board, from ski slalom, tightrope walk, soccer heading to lotus focus and more.

The Wii Fit allows you to keep track of your fitness progress, set exercise goals, see graphs of your BMI improvements, your Wii Fit Age and more. Up to 8 family members can have their own personal profiles in Wii Fit and can compete against each other.

The Wii Fit caters for all ages and activity levels. It is a fun and healthy way to get fit at home.

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

With cut-backs in education budgets, one of the areas to suffer is allowing children to have recess during the school day. You know how being physically active can help you feel better, look better, concentrate more, and be healthier than leading a sedentary life. The same is true for your children. Use hula hoops and jump ropes as a fun way to inspire children activities.

Unstructured recess may be a thing of the past at your school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your children unstructured play at home. Purchasing play equipment like hula hoops, jump ropes, and balls can make active play something your children look forward to each day. Science has proven that having this type of equipment available may help your children be more active and play for longer periods of time.

You know increased activity can help stave off obesity in your children, so why not do what you can to help improve their health? Is there a better way to encourage them to get moving than by providing them with fun activities they can do? And, while you’re at it, why don’t you join in the fun with them?

What can you do with a hula hoop? Actually, you might be surprised. Obviously, you can use the hula hoop as it was intended. You swing your hips in a circular movement and try to keep the hoop moving. Did you know that using one of these hoops, especially if it has been weighted, is a great abdominal exercise? They can also be used as a prop in rhythmic dancing or gymnastics. You can also use them at different points on the body, so you can concentrate on separate areas and give them a great workout.

Jump ropes are also wonderful pieces of exercise equipment. Of course, if more than one person chooses to use it at once, you will probably want to get one for everyone in the family. Again, you can use these as intended, jumping rope, but you can also incorporate them into gymnastics or rhythmic dancing. If you’re not sure what you can do with a jump rope, take a look at double Dutch jump roping. You’ll be amazed at the way some athletes use a simple pair of ropes.

Find hula hoops and jump ropes at local department stores. If you don’t think those will stand up to use, you may want to look at school supply stores. If there aren’t any school supply stores nearby, you can always look online to find them. You may find other pieces of exercise equipment that you’ll be interested in, too.

Remember that the goal is to encourage your child to get active rather than sitting in front of a computer or television. Give them a couple of pieces of exercise equipment and they’re more likely to use them. If you really want to encourage them, let them see you use the equipment, too. There’s nothing like exercise to get you and your whole family healthier and quite possibly happier.

With the advent of video games, it is increasingly difficult to get your children to get involved in healthy physical activities. So the pressure falls on the parents to think of exciting and creative children activities to get them involved. Here are some ways you can think of in order to get their fancy:

Although video games are a bit intellectual, it still involves spending hours in front of the television so have them participate in impact sports such as running, gymnastics, dancing and the likes. This improves their bone density and helps them to get fit.

This also helps develop healthy habits in them. If they are physically active as children, then that will most likely translate to the same when they become adults. This has a significant effect on their health especially in combating diseases such as cancer, obesity and heart disease.

The point is to lead a balance between home inactivity and exercises to keep your child healthy. Remember to always make it fun, fun, fun.

One does not have to be dormant like a sloth during pregnancy. Of course you have to be extra careful with movements but you can also become active in your own little way. Appropriate and controlled exercises will give an improvement in your pregnancy experience and also the overall health of your baby bundle.

Findings of studies are showing what many mothers have long believed to be true: fit mothers are more comfortable during pregnancy, experience shorter second stage labor, and have healthier babies.This was supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in 2002 when they sent out new guidelines for pregnancy exercise. Moderate activity during pregnancy has positive health outcomes for the mother and baby, and has no negative outcomes in a normal pregnancy.

Elizabeth Noble, an expert on women’s health and author of Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year, compares childbirth to throwing a party. She says you underestimate how much work it is to plan and prepare, then the party flies by and there is a lot more work to get the house back in order afterwards. Noble raises concerns that while the hormonal and physical changes of pregnancy happen over 9 months, reversal of changes only happen in a matter of weeks. The post-partum mother needs her strength and stamina back in a short time, and proper exercise can help achieve that.

The physical and hormonal changes happening suring pregnancy create additional challenges for women who desire to increase or maintain fitness. These challenges can be overcome with regular exercise.

During pregnancy, your body must adjust to the many physical changes to carry the load of your body and your baby. As your uterus grows, your center of gravity is changed. In addition, your pelvic floor is under increased stress to support the growing weight of the uterus. This is why moderate and targeted exercise on joints would by highly helpful to loosen the impact of hormones. It can also contribute to better posture.

Your pregnancy fitness routine should address the issue of posture and support for the changing abdomen. Perform exercises which strengthen the abdominal muscles without adding excessive pressure. In addition, include pelvic floor exercises to keep the pelvic floor strong and tone. Moreover, you should complement these exercises with a diet suitable for pregnancy nutrition.